Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Light Heavyweight

1. Jon Jones (23-1)

As long as Jones stays out of trouble, there is no better fighter at 205 pounds. The Jackson-Wink MMA standout reminded the world of his greatness at UFC 232, when he emphatically defeated Alexander Gustafsson by third-round technical knockout at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. It was a far cry from their first meeting at UFC 165 in 2013, when the lanky Swede took Jones to the brink of defeat before losing a unanimous decision. After dispatching Gustafsson, Jones vowed to have an active 2019, and he’ll get a jumpstart on those plans by defending his belt against Anthony Smith in the UFC 235 headliner on March 2.

2. Daniel Cormier (22-1)

The best thing you can say about Cormier’s effort at UFC 230 was that it was predictable. “DC” landed multiple takedowns on underdog Derrick Lewis before securing a tapout with a rear-naked choke at the 2:14 mark of the second stanza. Cormier became the first fighter to defend titles from two divisions in UFC history. Cormier previously set March 20 as a retirement date, but lingering issues from a back injury suffered before UFC 230 will force “DC” to fight beyond his 40th birthday.

3. Alexander Gustafsson (18-5)

Gustafsson couldn’t duplicate his near-miss of five years ago against Jon Jones in their rematch at UFC 232. The lanky Swede struggled to get into boxing range for two rounds before being taken down and pounded out by “Bones” in the third stanza of their championship clash. Gustafsson is now 0-3 in 205-pound title bouts and will have a difficult time getting a fourth shot as long as Jones stays out of trouble.

4. Anthony Smith (31-13)

Smith became a certified light heavyweight contender at UFC Fight Night Moncton, as he survived some early round adversity to submit former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir with a rear-naked choke at the 4:26 mark of round three in the evening’s headliner. “Lionheart’s” 205-pound resume now includes finishes of Oezdemir, Mauricio Rua and Rashad Evans. Smith was rewarded for his quick ascent at light heavyweight with a title shot against Jon Jones at UFC 235 on March 2.

5. Ryan Bader (27-5)

Bader etched himself into history when he knocked out Fedor Emelianenko in the Bellator 214 headliner to become the first two-division champion in promotion history. After vanquishing “The Last Emperor,” Matt Mitrione and Muhammed Lawal to claim the vacant heavyweight crown, Bader, also the reigning 205-pound king, must decide which belt he is going to defend first. Bader already has a heavyweight challenger lined up after Cheick Kongo outpointed Vitaly Minakov in a title eliminator bout at Bellator 216.

6. Thiago Santos (21-6)

Santos continues to excel since moving to 205 pounds. Faced with fellow contender Jan Blachowicz in the UFC Prague main event, “Marreta” dropped his foe with a counter left hook and polished off his victory with a barrage of hammerfists 39 seconds into the third round of their bout. The 35-year-old Brazilian is 3-0 at light heavyweight and has won his last four UFC appearances overall. Also noteworthy: Santos owns a victory over current No. 1 contender Anthony Smith at 185 pounds.

7. Volkan Oezdemir (15-3)

Oezdemir suddenly seems far removed from his meteoric rise to No. 1 contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. After being dominated by Daniel Cormier in a title bout at UFC 220, “No Time” returned to action against Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 138 in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. The Swiss fighter started well, but ultimately faltered in losing to a former middleweight via third-round submission. Oezdemir will attempt to halt his skid when he faces unbeaten prospect Dominick Reyes at UFC London on March 16.

8. Corey Anderson (12-4)

Anderson’s superior conditioning and pressure won the day at UFC 232, as he outworked fellow contender Ilir Latifi to win a unanimous decision. After a brief slump saw him lose three of four fights from 2016 to 2017, “Overtime has authored a three-fight winning streak that also includes triumphs over Glover Teixeira and Patrick Cummins.

9. Jan Blachowicz (23-8)

Blachowicz’s unlikely run to light heavyweight contention hit a brick wall at UFC Prague, where he fell to converted middleweight Thiago Santos via third-round technical knockout in the evening’s main event. Prior to that setback, the 35-year-old Pole had compiled a four-bout winning streak that included wins over Nikita Krylov, Jimi Manuwa and Jared Cannonier.

10. Dominick Reyes (10-0)

Reyes passed his first true test in the Octagon, going the distance to outpoint perennial gatekeeper Ovince St. Preux at UFC 229. After dispatching his first three UFC foes inside of a round, Reyes showed enough of a gas tank to survive when the quick finish didn’t come. “The Devastator” still has improvements to make, but he is nonetheless an interesting new face in a division filled with aging talent. Reyes will face his most significant test to date against former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir in a featured contest at UFC London.

Other Contenders: Ilir Latifi, Jimi Manuwa, Ovince St. Preux, Misha Cirkunov, Vadim Nemkov.

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